Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Retold
by Light Seeker 001
Summary: A young girl on her way to get a gift for her sister gets lost and finds herself in the North Pole. She finds herself in an adventure as she meets a certain Red-Nosed Reindeer, an elf who wants to be a dentist and a narrating snowman.


This story begins during a snow storm, a young woman garbed in heavy winter clothes was trudging through the snow, heading for lord knows where. As she walked through the snow, newspapers blew by her.

The Herald Tribune: COLD WAVE IN 12TH DAY!

The Chicago Sun-Times: WE'RE FROZEN!

The Daily Mail: Ice peril WARNING

The Daily News: TOUGH GOING! - Sanitation Department Digging Us Out

The San Francisco Chronicler: FOUL WEATHER MAY POSTPONE CHRISTMAS!

Finally, she collapsed. She got back up before she was buried alive under the snow. She began to realize something odd: the wind was settling down and the snow was falling gently rather than blowing in her face. Even stranger, she realized her surroundings had changed. She wasn't in the city, she was in a snowy clearing with a forest of pine trees nearby. "Did I make a wrong turn at Albuquerque?" she asked.

Suddenly, she heard a shuffling sound nearby. She turned around and saw a...no, no way. A snowman wearing a black bowler hat, a green vest and carrying a green umbrella. The snowman seemed to be talking to himself, "If I live to be a hundred, I'll never be able to forget that big snowstorm a couple of years ago. The weather closed in, and well – you might not believe it – but the world almost missed Christmas." The snowman realized he was not alone. He tipped his hat and said, "Oh excuse me – call me Sam. What's the matter? Haven't you seen a talking snowman before?"

"No...can't say I have..." the woman said. Then she started laughing. "Oh, I get it! This is some kind of joke! This is one of those stupid done to death cartoon dreams!" She laughed again. "Okay, you can come out now, Mr. Cartoon Director." Nothing happened. "HEY! ARTHUR! JULES! WAKE ME UP!"

"Ma'am?" Sam said, giving her an awkward look. "There's no one here but us."

"My name's not Ma'am. It's Tommy."

"Tommy? Isn't that a..."

"Yes, I know. Long story. Okay, whether this is a dream or not, could you tell me where I am?"

The snowman smiled and guided her along. "Nice around here, isn't it? I call it Christmastown – better known as the North Pole – here's our Christmas Tree forest – the place where I grew up. It's a nice place to live, you know."

"Okay," Tommy said, putting a hand to her forehead. "Now I know I'm dreaming. I was in Seattle just a few minutes ago!"

Sam chuckled. "Christmas magic does strange things to people. Mind the Christmas seals."

"Christmas seals?" A barking sound made her jump. She turned to see three seals playing on the ice.

Sam continued, "Of course, the number one citizens up here are the Clauses, Santa and Mrs. They live right over there: first castle on the left. Matter of fact, only castle on the left. Heh, heh, heh."

Tommy couldn't believe what she was seeing: a large castle straight out of the pages of a medieval England movie was standing proud and tall in the middle of the snow. "This is all a dream," she muttered. "I'm going crazy."

"Would you like to see the famous couple for yourself?" Sam asked.

"I...I don't know... Aren't they busy?"

"Don't worry," the snowman said, packing a snowball. "Gaze into this magic crystal snowball. We will see."

Tommy didn't know what else to say or do, so she did what Sam said. On the snowball's surface, she could see a moving image of a man bearded man in a red suit with a bowl of soup in front of him. He didn't look particularly happy. Beside the man was a plump old woman wearing an apron.

Mrs Claus scolded Santa, "Papa! You haven't touched a morsel. I'll have to take this suit in. Eat."

Santa said, "I'm busy Mama. It's almost Christmas!"

"Whoever heard of a skinny Santa? Eat! EAT!"

"Do they go through that every year?" Tommy asked as the image vanished and Sam dropped the snowball.

"Very much so. Now don't you worry your head about Santa. Mrs. Claus will have him plenty fattened up by Christmas Eve. It's always the same story." The snowman inhaled and exhaled. "Ah – I love this Christmasey time of year - especially when things are running happy and smooth like it is this season. Nothing like that year of the big snowstorm. Brrr! I don't know what we would have done without Rudolph to pull us through. Anyway..." Sam noticed the woman giving him a confused look. "What? Could it be that you are not acquainted with the story of Rudolph? Well - pull up an ice block and lend an ear."

Tommy sat down on a nearby ice block and listened.

"Now you know how Santa uses these flying reindeer to pull his sleigh?"

"Of course!"

TOMMY

There is Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen – Comet, and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.

SAM

But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER RETOLD

"So, how does the story go?" Tommy asked Sam.

"Well, now let me tell you about Rudolph. It all started a couple of years before the big snow. It was springtime. And Santa's lead reindeer, Donner, had just become a proud Papa."

Tommy suddenly found herself in front of a large cave mouth. "Sam?" she called out. No one answered. Curiosity piqued, she poked her head into the cave and she saw a large buck standing next to a white doe. At her feet was a little fawn.

"We'll – we'll call him Rudolph," said Donner.

Mrs. Donner seemed to agree. "Rudolph is a lovely name. Rudolph."

In response, the fawn looked up at her and Donner who exclaimed, "Hey! Hey! He knows his name already."

Then, to their astonishment, the little fawn's nose blinked red. "Pa-pa. Ma-ma," he said.

Mrs. Donner exclaimed, "He's – he's got a shiny nose!"

"Shiny?" spluttered Donner. "I'd even say it glows!"

The nose blinked three times.

Mrs. Donner shrugged her shoulders. "Well – we'll simply have to overlook it."

"How can you overlook THAT?" asked Donner. "His beak blinks like a blinkin' beacon!"

Tommy giggled. "Try saying that five times fast." Rudolph suddenly turned his attention toward her and she ducked out of sight. She panted a little, before peeking her head back in. And there was Rudolph, staring at her curiously. She let out a yelp and fell backwards into the snow.

"Who are you?" Donner asked, his protective father instincts taking in.

"I-I-I," Tommy stuttered. "I'm sorry. I'll just go."

"Tom-my." Rudolph calling her name made her stop.

"Di...did you just..." Rudolph's nose glowed again. "So bright."

"He seems to like her," Mrs. Donner said.

"Well," Donner said. "If Rudolph can trust her..." But he still gave the woman the "I've got my eye on you" hoof gesture.

She nodded, understanding the message. She walked into the cave and knelt before Rudolph, whose nose glowed again as he cuddled up to her. "Your nose is so warm."

"Did he just call you Tommy?" asked Mrs. Donner. "Isn't that a boy's name?"

"It's a long story."

Suddenly, she heard an all too familiar laugh, "Ho ho ho! Well, Donner, where's the new member of the family? After all, if he's going to be on my team someday, he'd better get to know me. Ho ho ho!" In entered a jolly, white bearded man wearing a red coat and hat. She suddenly felt a little nervous. "Oh! A visitor! We don't normally get one of those around Christmas. Did you hear the good news as well?"

"Uh...yeah?" was all Tommy said.

Santa then turned his attention to Rudolph. "Well hi there! Aren't you the sturdy little fella! Ho ho ho!"

Rudolph tilted his head. "San – ta?"

"Ho, ho. And smart too!" Santa's eyes widened as the fawn's nose glowed again. "Great bouncing icebergs!"

"Now, I'm sure it'll stop as soon as he grows up, Santa," assured Donner.

"Well, let's hope so, if he wants to make the sleigh team some day. You see, little fellow," Santa said to Rudolph. "Every year I shine up my jingle bells for eight lucky reindeer."

SANTA

JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE YOU WILL HEAR MY SLEIGH BELLS RING I AM OLD KRIS KRINGLE I'M THE KING OF JING A LING!

JINGLE JINGLE REINDEER THROUGH THE FROSTY AIR THEY'LL GO THEY ARE NOT JUST PLAIN DEER THEY'RE THE FASTEST DEER I KNOW HO HO

YOU MUST BELIEVE THAT ON CHRISTMAS EVE I WON'T PASS YOU BY I'LL DASH AWAY IN MY MAGIC SLEIGH FLYING THROUGH THE SKY

JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE YOU WILL HEAR MY SLEIGH BELLS RING I AM OLD KRIS KRINGLE I'M THE KING OF JING A LING! HO HO!

Santa left after the song. "Bye-bye," Rudolph said.

Donner shook his head. "Oh, Santa's right. He'll never make the sleigh team."

"Why not?" asked Tommy. "There's nothing wrong with him."

"Well, that red nose of his...it's just not normal. Wait a minute! I've got it! We'll hide Rudolph's nose!"

"Hide it?" asked Mrs. Donner.

"Yeah! Come here, boy." Donner placed a fake nose made of dirt on Rudolph's red one and said, "You'll be a normal little buck just like everybody else – right? A chip off the old antlers." Rudolph made an uncomfortable frown. "Now now, you'll get used to it. Put it there son." Rudolph cuddled up to his leg. "Aw, gee."

Tommy just made a disgusted sound and left the cave. She didn't look where she was going and she bumped into Sam. "What the... Where the heck were you?"

"Here. The whole time." The snowman coughed a little before continuing, "Well, for the first year, the Donners did a pretty good job of hiding Rudolph's...uh...non- conformity." He pointed to the left and Tommy could see the falling snow creating moving images of Donner and Rudolph. "Donner taught Rudolph all the ins and outs of being a reindeer, how to find food, how to fight off enemies, things like that. But most importantly..."

A loud roar made the two reindeer freeze. Donner hid Rudolph behind a bush before joining him. To Tommy's horror, a pair of giant, white fur covered legs stomped by, barely missing them. "What was that?!" she squeaked.

"Most important of all," Sam said grimly. "He taught his son to beware of...the Abominable Snow Monster of the North! He's mean, he's nasty and he hates everything to do with Christmas!"

The image disappeared and the two were alone again.

"Now, aside from the Abominable, business goes on as usual." Sam packed another crystal snowball and an image appeared on the surface: elves sitting at work benches making toys. The male elves had on blue outfits and hats and the females had on pink. Sam continued the story, "And soon, it is right before Christmas and everybody is getting ready for that big, big sleigh ride on – Christmas Eve. You see, all the toys Santa brings are made by these elves. Seems elves have that certain knack for toy-making. All, except for this...this one...misfit."

One particular elf, one with blonde hair and blue eyes, slowly painted a train with an absolutely bored look on his face. He jumped when he heard the boss, a fat elf with a large nose, a red beard and wearing a green hat and outfit, shout, "HERMEY! Aren't you finished painting that yet?! There's a pile up a mile wide behind you! What's eating you, boy?"

"Not happy in my work I guess," the elf said.

"WHAT?!"

"I just don't like to make toys," Hermey admitted sadly.

"Oh well, if that's all – WHAT? YOU DON'T LIKE TO MAKE TOYS?"

"Noooo."

"Hermey doesn't like to make toys!"

All the elves began whispering, rather loudly, "Hermey doesn't like to make toys! Hermey doesn't like to make toys! Hermey doesn't like to make toys! Hermey doesn't like to make toys!" Then they shouted at the misfit elf, "SHAME ON YOU!"

"Do ya mind telling me what you do want to do?" the Boss Elf asked.

Hermey said slowly, "Well sir, someday...I'd like to be a...a...a...DENTIST!"

"A DENTIST?" the boss exclaimed, a little outraged. All the other elves laughed.

"Well, we need one up here," insisted Hermey. He pulled out a large book on dentistry from underneath his workbench. "I've been studying, it's fascinating, you have no idea, molars and bicuspids and incisors..."

"Now listen, you," the boss shouted. "You're an elf. And elves make toys." He tossed the book out of Hermey's hands and shoved an unfinished toy train in them. "Now get to work." The factory whistle blew. "Ten minutes break!" Hermey was about to get up when the boss shouted, "Not for you! Finish the job, or you're fired!"

The elves left, laughing at the poor misfit. He stopped his painting and picked up his dentistry book.

HERMEY

WHY AM I SUCH A MISFIT? I AM NOT JUST A NIT WIT YOU CAN'T FIRE ME I QUIT - SEEMS I DON'T FIT IN

"Go on and laugh," Tommy shouted at the image. "But it's a sad, sad day in the world when a guy is ridiculed for having dreams!"

Sam dropped the snowball and said, "Ahhh, well...such is the life of an elf. Meanwhile, Rudolph is having his growing pains too... Old Donner was determined to keep Rudolph's nose a secret."

Tommy found herself back in front of the mouth of the cave. She peeked her head in and saw the reindeer family again. Rudolph took one look at her and exclaimed happily, "Tommy!" He ran up to her and gave her a tackle. "It's so good to see you again!" His nose blinked as if responding to his happiness

"Down, boy, down!" Tommy said, laughing. "And put out that light!"

"Where'd you go?" asked the red-nosed reindeer. "You just disappeared all of a sudden."

Tommy exhaled as she got back up and dusted herself off. "I've been here the whole time. So, what are you up to, boy?"

"Well, I was..."

"Rudolph!"

"C-Coming, Daddy," Rudolph trotted sadly to Donner, who had that fake nose in his hoof. "Alright, son, try it on."

"I don't wanna," Rudolph said. His nose blinked in response to his sadness. "Daddy, I don't like it!"

"You'll like it and wear it!"

"Aw, but Daddy..." PLOP! "It's nod berry com-fu-bul," Rudolph's voice sounded like something was pinching his nostrils closed. In this case, it was.

"There are more important things than comfort - self respect," said Donner sternly. "Santa can't object to you now!"

"When did he ever object him," Tommy snapped at him. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Donner! Your poor son is suffering just because he's...er...a misfit! Yeah, that's it!"

"I decide what's right for my son, Tommy! You're not family!"

Tommy huffed and left the cave to find Rudolph sobbing silently. She sat next to him, pulled the fake nose off of him and held him tight. "Your nose is so warm."

"Thank you," he sniffled.

RUDOLPH

WHY AM I SUCH A MISFIT? I AM NOT JUST A NIT WIT JUST BECAUSE MY NOSE GLOWS – WHY DON'T I FIT IN?

"Don't blame yourself, Rudy." Tommy suddenly found herself sitting on Sam's ice block again. "What the heck?! How did I get back here?"

"What are you talking about," Sam asked. "You were here the whole time." Tommy made of an annoyed noise. Sam ignored her and continued, "And so, time passes, Christmas comes and goes on schedule – and soon it is April. That's when all the new fawns come out with their folks to meet the other new fawns. And to be inspected by Santa."

Once again, Sam disappeared. Tommy found herself at the edge of a clearing. She saw lots of little fawns playing with each other, running and jumping and butting their heads together. Then she saw the Donners. "Hello, guys."

Rudolph came running up to her. "Nice to see you again, Tommy!" His voice sounded weird. Tommy saw the reason why when she saw the fake black nose.

"You're still wearing that thing?"

"Dad's orders."

Donner came up to the pair and he said to his fawn, "Now don't you worry about your nose, son. Just get out there – and do your stuff. Remember, you're my little buck." He gently pushed him along.

Rudolph soon met a young fawn about his age with a tuft of red hair in between his antlers. "Hi! My names' Fireball! What's yours?"

"Rudolph."

"C'mon – you can be my buddy," Fireball said as he led him along.

"Wure we goin'?"

"To the Reindeer Games! Makes antlers grow. Besides, it's a great place to show off in front of the does! C'mon!"

Tommy smiled. Despite her disapproval of the fake nose, she was happy to see him playing with reindeer his age.

"Ahh...youth." Sam was behind her again. In his hand was another crystal snowball. "Meanwhile, the elves are bustling with activity. Christmas is over – but they still keep busy with lessons and – elf-improvement."

The image in the crystal snowball showed the elves all lining up like a choir and the boss elf was the choir director. "ALL OUT FOR ELF PRACTICE!" he shouted.

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus were sitting nearby, the former looked bored while the latter looked excited. "Well, let's get this over with," the fat man said. "I have to look over the new deer."

The boss elf nodded. "Okay, Santa." He turned to the elf choir. "Now let's try out the new Elf Song I wrote – and remember – it's for Santa! And a one-a and a two-a and a three-a..."

ELVES

HO HO HO HO HO HO WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES

WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES FILLING SANTA'S SHELVES WITH A TOY FOR EACH GIRL AND BOY OH, WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES

WE WORK HARD ALL DAY BUT OUR WORK IS PLAY DOLLS WE TRY OUT TO SEE IF THEY CRY OUT WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES

WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES WE'RE A SPECIAL JOB EACH YEAR WE DON'T LIKE TO BRAG CHRISTMAS EVE WE ALWAYS FILL SANTA'S BAG

SANTA KNOWS WHO'S GOOD DO THE THINGS YOU SHOULD AND WE BET YOU, HE WON'T FORGET YOU WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES HO HO HO

HO HO HO WE ARE SANTA'S ELVES HO HO!

Mrs. Claus applauded while Santa just said, "Hmmm...well, it needs work. I have to go." And he left without even saying thanks.

"What does Papa know. It's beautiful," Mrs. Claus said, assuringly to the elves. "You keep it just the way it was." She chased after her husband, calling, "Papa...Papa!"

The boss elf turned to the choir. "That sounded terrible! The tenor section was weak!"

"Wasn't our fault, boss! Hermey didn't show up!"

"WHAT?!"

Back in the workshop, Hermey was practicing his dentistry on some dolls. "Now, this won't hurt a bit."

The door suddenly slammed open and the boss elf shouted, "Why weren't you at elf practice?!"

"Just fixing these dolls' teeth," Hermey said meekly.

"Just fixing - now listen! We have dolls that cry, talk, walk, blink and run a temperature - we don't need any chewin' dolls!"

"I just thought I found a way to...to fit in."

"You'll never fit in! Now you come to Elf Practice and learn how to wiggle your ears and chuckle warmly and go 'hee hee' and 'ho ho' and important stuff like that! A dentist...good grief!" The boss elf slammed the door as he left in a huff.

Hermey stood up in his seat and said determanently, "No! I just can't! It's like he said, I'll never fit in!" He grabbed his dentistry book and opened the window. "I guess I'm on my own now." And with that, he hopped out and the image ended.

Once again, Tommy found herself alone. "Sam? Where did you go?"

"Hey, who's that girl and who's she talking to?" she heard Fireball ask Rudolph.

"She's my friend," Rudolph said.

Oh, that's right, she was watching the Reindeer Games.

"She sure is weird," said Fireball. Then he turned his attention to some young does who were sitting on the sidelines, giggling. "Hey, look! Does!" One particular doe, a white one wearing a red bow with white polka dots, eyed Rudolph with interest. "Hey – whadda y'know?! One of 'em likes ya! Ha ha!"

"Yeah, Fireball, you really think so?" Rudolph looked back at the doe.

Suddenly, a whistle blew. "Uh – oh – here comes the Coach!"

An older buck wearing a ball cap and wearing a whistle around his neck approached the young bucks. "Alright! Alright, yearlings – alright now." Everyone quieted. "That's better. My name is Comet, and even though I'm your instructor, I want to be your pal. Right? Right. My job is to make bucks out of you. So – let's go!" He blew his whistle again. "Now then, our first game is called TAKE OFF. We all want to pull Santa's sleigh some day, don't we? So we must learn to fly. Now, who's the first to fly?"

All the young bucks ganged up on him. "One at a time! One! At! A! Time! You! You're Dasher's little boy, aren't you? You go first." The other bucks groaned as Dasher's son was given a running start. "Alright now, the whole trick is getting up enough speed – and jumping into the wind! Got it? Go ahead!" The buck ran, jumped...and fell flat on his face. The other young bucks laughed at him. Comet applauded. "Very good for a first try! Next!"

Fireball whispered to Rudolph. "He won't get to us for a while yet. Now's your chance to get acquainted with that doe."

Rudolph went to the white doe, blushing and giggling. "Nice day," the doe said.

"Yup," Rudolph said, blushing.

"For takeoff practice, I mean."

"Yup."

"I bet you'll be the best."

Rudolph shuffled his feet. "Awww – I dunno."

The doe tilted her head. "Is there something wrong with your nose? I mean – you talk kind of funny."

"Whad so funny about de way I dalk?" Rudolph asked, offended.

"Well, don't get angry. I don't mind."

"You doan?" Rudolph asked, surprised.

The doe introduced herself, "My name's Clarice. Hi."

"My name's Rudolph. Hi."

"Hi."

"Hey..Clarice...after pragdice...would you...would you..."

"RUDOLPH!" called out Comet. "You get back here! It's your turn you know!"

"Gee...I godda go bag." Rudolph ran off, but returned to Clarice for a moment. "So...would you wog home wid me?"

"Uh –huh," she said, blinking. "Rudolph?" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I think you're cute."

With hearts in his eyes, Rudolph took off running. "I'M CUDE! I'M CUDE!" Then he leaped into the sky, flew for a short distance and landed next to the coach, who said, "Magnificent!"

"I'M CUDE – I'M CUDE – SHE SAID I'M CUUUUUUUUDE!" Rudolph took off again, flying at an even longer distance. Everyone, even Tommy, was impressed.

"Looks like your son is twitter pated," she teased Donner. "And it's not even springtime!"

At that moment, Santa came by. He was to inspect the young bucks and he thought he had found his winner when he saw Rudolph. "Not bad! Not bad at all!"

Rudolph landed next to Fireball who said, "Hey! You're okay!"

"She said I'm cude! Ha, ha!"

The young bucks playfully tussle, but this resulted in the fake nose popping off and Rudolph's real red nose glowed and blinked. Fireball looked at him like he had grown a second head. "For crying out loud!"

"Fireball? What's the matter?"

"Get away - get away from me!"

Comet came over, attracted by all the commotion. "Now, now; now now – what's all this nonsense here, bucks? After all - DAH!" He exclaimed after seeing Rudolph's snoot. The other young bucks ganged up on him.

"Hey! Look at the beak! Hey, Fire-Snoot!"

"Rainbow-pus!"

"Red schnoz!"

"Stop calling me names," Rudolph shouted, almost crying.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," laughed Fireball.

Donner was getting a scolding from Santa, "Donner, you should be ashamed of yourself! What a pity...he had a nice take-off, too..."

Comet blew the whistle. "Alright! Alright now yearlings – back to practice." He blocked Rudolph. "Oh no – not you. You'd better run home with your folks. From now on gang, we won't let Rudolph join in any reindeer games – right? Right!"

The yearlings laughed as Rudolph ran off. The laughing ceased when Fireball got pelted by a snowball. "Quiet, venison!" Tommy shouted. "How does it feel when you're the one teased, huh?"

"She just pelted me with a snowball!"

"And I'll do it again, too!" Tommy ran and chased after Rudolph. "Rudolph! Rudolph! Wait! Stop!"

The little reindeer turned to look at her, his eyes stained with tears. "Are you going to laugh at me, too?"

Tommy hugged him. "No. You know me better than that."

Rudolph buried his head into her chest. "I wish I had a normal nose," he wept.

"Don't say that. Those noses don't feel warm like yours does."

"Thanks..."

"Rudolph?" Clarice, the doe from before, slowly stepped out from behind a line of trees.

"What do you want?" Rudolph asked.

"You promised to walk me home," she said.

"Aren't you going to laugh at my nose too?"

"I think it's a handsome nose. Much better than that silly false one you were wearing."

"Blame his dad for that," Tommy said. "He wanted him to be a 'normal little buck just like everybody else'."

"That's mean of him."

Rudolph shook his head. "No, he's right. It's terrible. It's different from everybody else's."

"But that's what makes it so grand. Why any doe would consider herself lucky to be with you."

Rudolph cheered up a little. "Yeah, but I wasn't very lucky today was I? I wish...I wish..."

"You can always try again," Tommy said. "And so what if you have a nose like a Christmas light? You're a better flyer than all those other fawns put together! Fireball crashed into a bush, for crying out loud!"

Rudolph sniffed. "I am? Oh, what's the point? No one will ever let me fly today."

"So – that was today," said Clarice. "Tomorrow's a whole new day!"

CLARICE

THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW FOR DREAMS TO COME TRUE BELIEVE IN YOUR DREAMS COME WHAT MAY

THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW WITH SO MUCH TO DO AND SO LITTLE TIME IN A DAY

WE ALL PRETEND THE RAINBOW HAS AN END AND YOU'LL BE THERE MY FRIEND SOMEDAY

THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW FOR DREAMS TO COME TRUE TOMORROW IS NOT FAR AWAY

TOMMY

WE ALL PRETEND THE RAINBOW HAS AN END AND YOU'LL BE THERE MY FRIEND SOMEDAY

CLARICE AND TOMMY

THERE'S ALWAYS TOMORROW FOR DREAMS TO COME TRUE TOMORROW IS NOT FAR AWAY

TOMORROW IS NOT FAR A-WAY!

"So, Rudolph," said Tommy. "How about that walk?"

"Oh, right! Clarice? Will you -"

"Clarice!" shouted a buck.

"Papa!" exclaimed the doe.

"You get back to your cave this instant."

"But..."

"This instant, young lady!"

Clarice lowered her head. "Yes, sir."

The buck glared at Rudolph. "Now there is one thing I want to make very plain. No doe of mine is going to be seen with a red-nosed reindeer!" He left with his daughter, leaving the two alone.

Tommy sighed as she sat down on a log with Rudolph. "And I thought I had it rough."

"What do you mean?" asked Rudolph.

"My mom, while she was pregnant with me, wanted a boy. So she had my birth certificate labeled Tommy before a gender was specified. Lo and behold, I was born a girl, but she didn't want to change the name. I got teased all the time at school; kids would tell me I'm in the wrong bathroom, that I should wear pink so that everyone could tell I was a girl..." She sighed again. "I never forgave my mother for making me a misfit."

"It's better than this," Rudolph said, his nose glowing. "At least you can change your name any time you want."

"Yeah, well..." Suddenly, something popped out of the snow. "MOLE!" Tommy threw a snowball at the offender, who shouted, "Ow!" She looked again. It was a little young man wearing a blue outfit and pointed hat. "Oh, I am so sorry!"

"It's alright," the man said, brushing himself off. "Is this your snowbank?"

"No," said Rudolph. "Who are you?"

"Well, actually - I am a dentist."

"A den-tist?" questioned Rudolph.

"Aren't you a little short to be a dentist?" asked Tommy.

The little man shuffled his feet. "Well, I want to be – someday. Right now, I'm just an elf. I don't need anybody. I'm - I'm independent."

"Yeah?" Rudolph said. "Me too – I'm – whatever you said – in-dee-pen-dant."

A pair of Christmas balls fell out of a tree, startling them. "Well, that happened," Tommy said. "But, Rudolph, won't your mom and dad be worried about you?"

"You saw the looks on their faces. They're better off without a son with a red nose." Tommy didn't like that response.

"Hey – what do you say we both be independent together? Huh?" asked the elf.

"You wouldn't mind my red nose?"

"Not if you don't mind me being a dentist."

"It's a deal!"

"What about me?" asked Tommy. "You wouldn't mind my...nonconformitive name?"

"Depends," said the elf, whose name was Hermey, by the way. "What is your name?"

"It's Tommy."

"Isn't that a..."

"Yes, I know. I've heard it before."

"Then, no," Hermey said. "We don't mind at all."

HERMEY AND RUDOLPH

WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MISFITS THAT'S WHERE FIT IN!

WE'RE NOT DAFFY AND DILLY DON'T GO ROUND WILLY NILLY SEEMS TO US KINDA SILLY THAT WE DON'T FIT IN

WE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE REST WHO DECIDES THE TEST OF WHAT IS REALLY BEST?

WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MISFITS THAT'S WHERE WE FIT IN!

RUDOLPH

WHY AM I SUCH A MISFIT? I AM NOT JUST A NIT WIT I'M AN ADORABLE REINDEER WHY DON'T I FIT IN?

HERMEY

WHY AM I SUCH A MISFIT? I AM NOT JUST A NIT WIT THEY CAN'T FIRE ME I QUIT - SEEMS I DON'T FIT IN

TOMMY

WHY AM I SUCH A MISFIT? I AM NOT JUST A NITWIT JUST BECAUSE MY NAME'S WRONG WHY SHOULD I FIT IN?

RUDOLPH AND HERMEY

WE MAY BE DIFFERENT FORM THE REST WHO DECIDES THE TEST OF WHAT IS REALLY BEST?

WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MISFITS THAT'S WHERE WE FIT IN!

As Tommy walked with her two friends, she thought she heard Sam's voice. "Now these three didn't have any idea about what they were letting themselves in for...the world looked a lot more complicated and dangerous than when they were snug and warm at home..."

Eventually, they found themselves lost in the middle of a blizzard. "I'm starting to think we've made a big mistake."

Suddenly, a loud roar made them freeze. "The Abominable! He must see your nose!" exclaimed Hermey. "Quick – douse the light!" Hermey covered Rudolph's nose with his hand, just as a huge pair of hands and a pair of eyes peek out from behind the cliff. Those eyes made Tommy scared.

"Like I said, the outside world is up to its ears in danger..." she heard Sam say.

"Well, somehow, Rudolph, Hermey and Tommy managed to get through the first night."

The trio heard a new noise: dogs barking and a man shouting, "MUSH! MUSH!" Rudolph and Hermy were so shocked, they jumped into a snowbank. "MUSH! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND NORTH POLE TALK? MUSH! What's this?" Tommy found herself face to face with a team of sled dogs and there, sitting on the sled, was a well-built man with a large red beard and wearing green winter gear, a red hat and a pair of yellow earmuffs.

"Help!" she called out. "My friends are stuck in the snow!"

The man came to her aid and pulled the reindeer and elf out. "Hey, you'll get frostbit that way!"

"Who are you?" asked Rudolph.

"Who am I? The name's Yukon Cornelius! The greatest prospector of the north! This is my land! And you know, it's rich with gold! GOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLD!" He shouted, shaking the land around them. "Gold and silver! Silver and gold! WAHOO!" He tossed the pickaxe up into the air and it landed in the snow. He gave it a lick. "Nothing."

Suddenly, Tommy heard a laugh. She turned to see Sam behind her. "Silver and gold," he laughed. "Well, what do you think of our friend Cornelius?"

"I like him," Tommy said. "A bit loud though."

"Seems all he thinks about is silver and gold," Sam agreed as he replaced the umbrella with a banjo.

SAM

SILVER AND GOLD SILVER AND GOLD EVERYONE WISHES FOR SILVER AND GOLD

HOW DO YOU MEASURE ITS WORTH? JUST BY THE PLEASURE IT GIVES HERE ON EARTH

SILVER AND GOLD SILVER AND GOLD MEANS SO MUCH MORE

WHEN I SEE SILVER AND GOLD DECORATIONS ON EVERY CHRISTMAS TREE

"What's a Christmas tree without tinsel – and pretty silver and gold decorations? Can't really call it a Christmas tree, now can you? And think of all the fun and joy that would be lost on Christmas morning if all the young folk didn't get to see that sparkling happy tree!"

SAM AND TOMMY

SILVER AND GOLD SILVER AND GOLD MEANS SO MUCH MORE WHEN I SEE

SILVER AND GOLD DECORATIONS ON EVERY CHRISTMAS TREE

Once again, Sam disappeared and Tommy was with Hermey, Rudolph and Yukon. The prospector shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'm off t-get my life sustainin' supplies – corn meal an' gunpowder an' ham hocks an' guitar strings!"

"And don't forget the essentials," Tommy joked. "Beans, bacon, whiskey and lard!"

Yukon laughed. "I like you, kid. I'll give you and your friends a lift! Hop aboard, mateys!" The trio hopped onto the sled and Yukon readied the whip. "Now, mush!" Crack! The dogs did not move. "Mush!" Crack! The dogs still not budged. "MUSH!" Yukon hopped off and grabbed onto the reigns. "Like this," he said to the dogs. "Watch." He started pulling the sled himself and the dogs all hopped on.

"Do your dogs do that all the time?" asked Tommy.

"You wouldn't believe it."

A growl made Yukon stop. They slowly turned their heads around. There, coming toward them, growling and roaring, was a white furry ape with huge sharp teeth. "YETI!" shouted Tommy.

"Gadzooks," exclaimed Yukon. "The Bumble Snow Monster of the North strikes again! Wah!"

Rudolph yelled, "It's my nose! It keeps giving us away!"

"If there's anything I hate, it's a noisy Bumble Snow Monster!" The Abominable Snow Monster was getting closer... "We'll have to outwit the fiend with superior intelligence!"

"How?" asked Rudolph.

"Douse your nose, AND RUN LIKE CRAZY! COME ON! WAHOO!" Yukon pulled the sled and started running in a serpentine pattern, making it hard for the Snow Monster to grab them. It got too close for comfort at one point, but Tommy kicked it in the face, making it yelp. Eventually, they ran to the edge of a river.

"We're trapped," Rudolph said grimly. "There's no way out! It's my nose again! It's ruined us!"

"The Bumble has one weakness and I know it," Yukon said, taking out his pickaxe. He chopped at the ice until it broke away, the group floated on to safety. "Do it yourself icebergs," he laughed. The Snow Monster got closer to the edge of the water, growling at them. "Observe," Yukon said. "The Bumble's one weakness!"

The Snow Monster took one step into the water and then sank like a stone.

"The Bumble sinks! HA, HA!"

The Snow Monster climbed out of the water and roared at the group as they floated away.

"Yukon Cornelius scores again! WAHEE!" The prospector tossed his pick up into the air and it landed into the ice. He gave it a lick. "Nothing."

"Uh, mister, where are we going?" asked Rudolph.

"You're gonna stay with me. And we'll all be rich. With the biggest silver strike this side of Hudson Bay! SILVER!"

"I thought you wanted gold," pointed out Hermey.

"I changed my mind!"

Tommy just giggled. "Ah, well. Silver and gold! It's just a first step."

"First step to what?" asked Rudolph.

"Fame and fortune, my friends! Hey, I get to introduce the song!"

TOMMY

FAME AND FORTUNE FAME AND FORTUNE WE'RE OFF TO SEEK THEM NOW

ANYONE CAN HAVE THEM BOTH IT JUST TAKES THE RIGHT KNOW-HOW

HERMEY

WE PUT ON OUR TRAVELING SHOES TODAY

RUDOLPH

WE WON'T YOU STOP UNTIL YOU FIND THE WAY

TOMMY

TO FAME AND FORTUNE FAME AND FORTUNE THEY WILL BE OURS SOMEDAY

"Yessir, our friends were really on their way. But no one knew where they were going," Tommy heard Sam say. The snow around the ice berg started to form a picture only she could see: Mr. and Mrs. Donner and Clarice, all worried about Rudolph. "Now you can bet old Donner felt pretty bad about how the way he treated Rudolph. And he knew that the only thing to do was to go out and look for his little buck. Mrs. Donner wanted to go along naturally, but Donner said, 'No! This is man's work!' And no sooner did the man of the house leave when Mrs. Donner and Clarice decided to set out on their own...

"Now, they were really taking their chances. Because, you see, that little ice boat had run into a pack of mighty wicked fog..."

Tommy awoke to Yukon yelling, "Hal-looow! Hal-looow! The fog's as thick as peanut butter."

"You mean pea soup," said Hermey.

"You eat what you like and I'll eat what I like!" Suddenly, the ice boat made a hard jerk and everyone was sent flying off and onto land. "LAND HOOOOOOO!"

"No kidding!" Hemey snarked.

"Where are we?" asked Rudolph.

"Look! Another castle!" Tommy pointed to a castle sitting on the top of a mountain.

But Yukon was more focused on what was in the sky. "Hey! Lookie up there!" The group looked up to see a winged lion with a crown flying toward the castle. They gasped in awe.

Then suddenly, a voice shouted, "HALT! Who goes there!" The group turned around to see a jack-in-the-box with a serious look on his face.

"The toy talks!" shouted Tommy.

"Of course I can talk! Now I ask again, who goes there!"

"Us of course," said Yukon. "Who'd you think?"

"Oh, well, then that's okay," the jack-in-the-box said sarcastically. "Okay, who may I ask are you?"

The reindeer introduced himself. "We're Rudolph, and Hermey, and Tommy, and Yukon Cornelius, sir. Who are you?"

"I'm the official Sentry of the Island of the Misfit Toys!"

The elf raised an eye brow. "A Jack-in-the-Box for a sentry?"

"Yes, my name is..."

Rudolph stopped him. "Don't tell me – Jack?"

"No. Charlie!" the sentry wept. "That's why I'm a misfit toy! My name is all wrong! No child wants to play with a Charlie-in-the-Box, so I have to come here."

"I feel your pain, Charlie," Tommy said. "I really do."

"Where's 'here'?" asked Hermey.

As if on cue, toys of all kind came out of their hiding spots. A train with square wheels, a cowboy riding an ostrich instead of a horse, a white elephant with red spots, a little rag doll, a boat, a blue plane, a parrot with a fish's fins and tail, and a water pistol.

MISFIT TOYS

WE'RE ON THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS HERE WE DON'T WANT TO STAY WE WANT TO TRAVEL WITH SANTA CLAUS IN HIS MAGIC SLEIGH

CLOWN NESTING DOLLS

A PACK FULL A SACKFUL OF JOYS FOR MILLIONS OF GIRLS AND FOR MILLIONS OF BOYS

MISFIT TOYS

WHEN CHRISTMAS DAY IS HERE – THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR –

CHARLIE

A JACK IN THE BOX WAITS FOR CHILDREN TO SHOUT,

DOLLY

WAKE UP, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT IT'S TIME TO COME OUT?

MISFIT TOYS

WHEN CHRISTMAS DAY IS HERE THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR

TOYS GALORE SCATTERED ON THE FLOOR THERE'S NO ROOM FOR MORE AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF SANTA CLAUS

SCOOTER

A SCOOTER FOR JIMMY,

DOLLY

A DOLLY FOR SUE

TOYS

THE KIND THAT WILL EVEN SAY,

The doll jumped into Tommy's hands and said,

DOLLY

HOW DO YOU DO?

TOYS

WHEN CHRISTMAS DAY IS HERE THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR

"How would like to be a spotted elephant?"

"Or a choo-choo with square wheels on your caboose?"

"Or a water pistol that shoots jelly?"

The water pistol shot jelly, but Tommy caught it with a cracker and ate it.

"We're all misfits!"

"How would you like to be a bird that doesn't fly? I swim!"

"Or a cowboy who rides...an ostrich?"

"Or a b-b-b-b-boat that can't stay a-a-a-a-afloat?"

"We're all misfits!"

MISFIT TOYS

IF WE'RE ON THE ISLAND OF UNWANTED TOYS WE'LL MISS ALL THE FUN WITH THE GIRLS AND THE BOYS WHEN CHRISTMAS DAY IS HERE THE MOST WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR!

"Hey, we're all misfits too. And maybe we could stay here for awhile?" asked Rudolph.

Charlie said, "Well, you'd have to get permission from King Moonracer."

"Who's he?"

"He rules here." Charlie pointed to the castle where the winged lion flew to.

"The flying lion is your king?" asked Tommy.

"That's right. Every night he searches the entire Earth. When he finds a misfit toy, one that no little girl or boy loves, he brings it here to live on this island till someone wants it. He's holding court in his castle right now."

The spotted elephant escorted the group to the lion's throne room. The lion said in a booming voice, "Come closer. What do you desire?"

"Well, we're a couple of misfits from Christmastown. And now, we'd like to live here," requested Rudolph.

"No – that would not be possible. You see, this island is for toys alone."

Yukon snorted at Rudolph and Hermey. "How do ya like that – even among misfits, you're misfits!"

King Moonacer shook his head. "Unlike playthings, a living creature cannot hide himself on an island. But perhaps, being misfits yourselves, you might help the toys here."

"Help them?" questioned Rudolph.

"Yes. When someday you return to Christmastown, would you tell Santa about our homeless toys? I'm sure he could find little boys and girls who would be happy with them. A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child."

"When and if we ever get back, we'll tell Santa, sir."

"Good. You are free to spend the night." The lion clapped his hands and called out to the spotted elephant, "Footman, show our friends to their chambers."

The group were escorted to a large chamber where they all had separate beds. "It's all settled," Hermey said. "We'll leave tomorrow together."

"But the Abominable will see my nose and get us all," said Rudolph, his nose the only source of light in the dark room. "I've got to go alone."

"Nonsense," scoffed Yukon. "It's all fer all and one fer one – I mean – one fer all – er – nothing – awwww – let's go get some shut eye."

"But..."

"It's all settled."

The only person who didn't sleep tonight was Rudolph. Quietly, he snuck out of bed and out the door.

"Well, poor Rudolph realizes he can't endanger his friends' lives any more. So, that night, he decides to strike out on his own."

Rudolph took one last look at the Island of Misfit Toys as he floated away on the ice boat. "Goodbye, Cornelius – I hope you find lots of tinsel. Goodbye Hermey – whatever a dentist is, I hope someday that you're the greatest. Goodbye, Tommy - thank you for always being there for me and for allowing me to keep you warm." A loud splash made him turn around. "Tommy?" Sure enough, he could see the young woman swimming toward him. "Go back, Tommy! I don't want to endanger you!"

Tommy climbed onto the boat, shivering and chattering her teeth. "T-T-T-Too b-b-b-bad," she shivered. "O-O-One for all and one f-f-f-f-f-for all." She wrapped her arms around her and cursed, "What the heck was I thinking, swimming into Arctic waters?!" Her shivering calmed a little when Rudolph nuzzled up to her. "Th-Th-Th-Thank you, my friend."

Out in the distance, they swore they heard the Abominable Snow Monster roar.

"Hey, wake up!" Tommy awoke with a start. "I can't have you falling asleep during the story!"

She looked around frantically. "Where's Rudolph?! He was right here! I was floating on an ice block with him!"

Sam laughed. "Seems like you've really gotten into the story."

"So, how did the rest of it go?" Tommy asked, wondering what was even real anymore.

"Well, time passed slowly. Rudolph existed as best he could. The Snow Monster kept him on the run. But once in a while he'd stop and make a friend or two – but it wouldn't last long, and Rudolph was on his own again. But during all that time, a strange and wonderful thing was happening – Rudolph was growing up, and growing up made Rudolph realize you can't run away from your troubles – and he pretty soon knew there was one place he had to go...HOME."

Once again, Tommy was alone again, but not for long. She found herself at the edge of a pond, next to Rudolph. But here eyes widened when she realized her friend had gone through a change: he was taller and his antlers grew big as well. "Oh, my..."

"What?" asked Rudolph. "Is there something on my face?"

"Oh...no..."

"Were you about to make a joke about my nose?"

"No! Really! I was...surprised to see you so...big."

Rudolph looked at his reflection in the water. "I HAVE grown up, haven't I?" He looked at the horizon and said, "I realized something. I can't run away from my problems. I have to go home!"

The two arrived at Christmastown, where nothing really changed. Well, except for one thing: all of the reindeer had grown up. One of them, the two instantly recognized as Fireball. "You! I thought you were gone for good. Hey, look who's back – ol' neon nose!" The other reindeer laughed until Tommy chased them away with snowballs.

"Good riddance," she muttered.

The two ran into Rudolph's cave. "Ma! Pa! I'm home!" Empty.

"Rudolph? I don't think no one's been here for a while now.

"She's right," Santa said, entering the cave. "They're gone Rudolph. They've been gone for months – out looking for you."

"Clarice?" asked Rudolph, worried.

"She's gone too. And I'm very worried. Christmas Eve is only two days off. And without your father, I'll never be able to get my sleigh off the ground."

"Gone? We'll find him sir. We'll find them all!"

The two of them left the cave and out into the forest where a huge blizzard was starting.

Tommy swore she could hear Sam's voice again. "Well, he was just about to leave when suddenly – it hit! The storm of storms. And only two days before Christmas Eve."

"Where are we going?!" Tommy shouted over the wind.

"I saw some footprints belonging to...HIM!"

Tommy's eyes widened. "No! No way!"

"Yes way! Are you with me?"

"Yes...though I wish I wasn't."

"Now Rudolph knew that he had to find his folks right away. And he knew where he had to look – the cave of the Abominable Snow Monster!"

The two entered the cave to find Mrs. and Mr. Donner huddled together in a corner of the cavern. And there was Clarice...in the Snow Monster's hand!

"PUT HER DOWN!" shouted Rudolph.

The Snow Monster turned his attention to Rudolph and his eyes widened in recognition. He let Clarice go, then tried to lunge at Rudolph, but Rudolph dodged and head butted the Snow Monster. Then the Snow Monster reached up, pulled a stalactite off the ceiling and whacked Rudolph with it, knocking him out cold.

"Rudolph!" shouted Tommy. She ran up to him and stood between him and the Snow Monster. "You won't touch him!" The Snow Monster picked her up and threw her out the cave.

"Tell me when it's over!" Sam was there again. "Oh, where was I? Their last chance. Not quite you see. Ever since Rudolph left them Hermey and Yukon Cornelius had been trying to find their friend. Well, the arrived in Christmastown just as the storm hit. And it was a good thing that I sent them after Rudolph."

"You did?" She heard the sound of dog barking and turned to see Yukon, his team of sled dogs and Hermey coming toward her. "Hermey! Yukon! Here!"

The dog sled stopped in front of her. "Tommy," exclaimed Hermey. "Where's Rudolph?"

"In there," she pointed to the cave.

Hermey asked, "What can we do – we can't let that monster get a hold of them..."

Yukon's eyes widened, "I got an idea! Listen..." He whispered his plan to Tommy and Hermey.

"I like it," she said.

"Not bad," said Hermey. "It might work!"

Back in the cave, the Snow Monster's lips salivated at the sight of the reindeer. "Why doesn't he get it over with?" whimpered Clarice.

"Ma?" groaned Rudolph. "Pa? Clarice?"

"You sure we can get him to come out here?" Hermey asked Cornelius as he climbed up the cave mouth.

"Never knew a Bumble Snow Monster yet who'd turn down a pork dinner for deer meat...do your stuff."

"Okay," Thomay put her hands to her mouth and snorted like a pig.

"Put some heart into it!" shouted Yukon. "That Bumble's hungry!" It was working! The Snow Monster, attracted by the pig grunts, slowly made his way out the cave. "WAHOO!" Yukon kicked some snow free and it fell on the Abominable, pinning him down. "Terrible weather we've been havin'! Har har har – snow an – ice! Hahahahahahahaha!" He knocked out the Abominable by tossing a boulder on his head. "Alright, dentist! You take it from here!"

Hermey smiled as he pulled out a pair of pliers.

"It's Yukon Cornelius!" exclaimed Rudolph.

"Ta da! In person."

"We're saved!" cheered Clarice.

"Let's get out of here," Donner said.

"I'll light the way," Rudolph said.

The Abominable slowly rose up and looked down at the reindeer, Yukon and Tommy. "Something's not right with him," Tommy said. "He looks dizzy."

"Why blast your hairy Bumble hide!" Yukon muttered.

Hermey walked under the Snow Monster, totally unafraid. "Don't let this blow-hard scare you anymore. Just walk right past him."

"What did you do?" Rudolph asked.

"Take a look at the Bumble's mouth."

The poor Snow Monster squealed as he realized all his teeth were gone. Cornelius made a smirk. "I tell you...you're looking at a mighty humble Bumble. Boo!" The Snow Monster backed away from him. "See – he's nothin' without his chompers! LEMME AT HIM – WAHOOOOOO!" The prospector and his snow dogs backed the Snow Monster away from the cave.

"Yukon! Look out! The cliff!" shouted Tommy. Too late, Yukon and the dogs pushed the Snow Monster off the cliff and fell down with him!

"YUKON!" everyone shouted.

"He's gone! Oh – he's gone!" cried Rudolph.

Tommy heard Sam's voice again as they went back to Santa's Castle, "Well, they are all very sad at the loss of their friend – but they realize that the best thing to do is to get back to Christmastown. And when everyone heard their story, they started to realize maybe they were a little hard on the misfits. Maybe misfits have a place too. Even Santa realized that maybe HE was wrong."

"Rudolph - I promise as soon as this storm lets up, I'll find homes for all those misfit toys," the jolly fat man said.

The boss elf spoke to Hermy, "Alright, you can open up a dentist's office – next week, after Christmas."

"Come here...open your mouth." The boss elf obeyed him. "Oh dear. I'd better set up an appointment, week from Tuesday. Four-thirty – sharp." The boss didn't like that.

"And I'm sorry Rudolph – for the way I acted," said Donner.

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door. "Open up! Isn't a fit night for man nor beast!" No way! That couldn't be! The door opened and in stepped Yukon Cornelius! "Here's the man...and here's the beast!" He dragged the Abominable Snow Monster in on a huge leash. Everyone gasped in horror. "Now calm down...calm down...I reformed this Bumble. He wants a job. Lookey what he can do!" The Abominable placed a huge star on the giant Christmas tree. Everyone was in awe. "And he doesn't even need a step-ladder!"

Rudolph was still in shock about the whole thing. "But...but...you went over the side of the cliff!"

"Didn't I tell you about Bumbles? Bumbles bounce!"

Everyone laughed.

"Well – as good as everyone feels – this is no time for celebrating. Because the next day is Christmas Eve – the biggest day of the year!"

But not everyone was happy. "Eat, Papa, eat," insisted Mrs. Claus.

"How can I eat?" Santa asked. "That silly elf song is driving me crazy!"

"You'll disappoint the children. They expect a fat Santa.

An elf wearing aviator goggles came in. "Latest weather report, sir."

What Santa read made him sigh, disappointed. "Well, this is it. The storm won't subside by tonight. We'll have to cancel Christmas."

"PAPA! Are you sure?"

"Everything's grounded...aw, the poor kids. They've been so good this year, too. But I couldn't chance it. I'll have to tell everybody that it's all off this year." Santa walked outside, knowing he had the difficult task of telling the bad news. "Quiet, quiet - I've got some bad news. Christmas is going to be cancelled." Everyone gasped. Rudolph's nose began glowing. "There's nothing I can do...This weather – Rudolph, please – could you tone it down a bit...I mean, that nose of yours..." Then Santa realized, "That, that NOSE! THAT BEAUTIFUL WONDERFUL NOSE!"

The Red-Nosed Reindeer asked, "Huh?"

"Rudolph! Christmas is NOT off! And – you're going to lead my team!"

"I am?"

"Yes, sir! You and that wonderful nose of yours!"

"My nose, sir?"

"Ho ho ho! From what I can see now, that'll cut through the murkiest storm they can dish up! What I'm trying to say is...Rudolph, with your nose so bright – won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

"It will be an honor, sir!"

Everyone cheered. Donner said proudly, "I knew that nose would be useful someday. I knew it all along."

"Excuse me, Santa," Tommy said timidly. "As much as I love all this, I have to get back home soon. I don't even know how I got all the way up to the north pole to begin with!"

"Hoh, hoh, don't worry your little head, Tommy. There's room in my sleigh for one more! But, I will need some help preparing it. Think you can help the elves and reindeer?"

"Certainly, sir!"

SAM

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS IT'S THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'LL BE SNOW BUT HAVE A CUP OF CHEER

TOMMY

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS AND WHEN YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET SAY HELLO TO FRIENDS YOU KNOW AND EVERYONE YOU MEET

SAM AND TOMMY

OH, HO – THE MISTLETOE – HUNG WHERE YOU CAN SEE SOMEBODY WAITS FOR YOU KISS HER ONCE FOR ME

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS AND IN CASE YOU DIDN'T HEAR OH BY GOLLY HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!

Tommy helped the elves hook the reindeer to the sleigh then put on a pair of sunglasses while she hooked up Rudolph and gave him a hug. "So proud of you."

EVERYONE

HOLLY JOLLY, HOLLY JOLLY ALL!

HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS AND IN CASE YOU DIDN'T HEAR OH BY GOLLY HAVE A HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR!

Meanwhile, Santa had just fattened up and was practicing his trademark laugh. "Ho Ho Ho! Ho ho ho!"

"Eat now, ho ho ho later," said the Mrs. "Let me check. Turn."

"Aw, Mama!"

"Now shake when you laugh."

Santa laughed again, shaking his belly. "HO HO HO! HO HO HO!"

"Now that's my Santa."

"Thanks Mama – my coat!" Tommy handed him his coat and hopped into the sled with him. "Ready Rudolph?"

"Ready, Santa!"

The elves slowly opened the doors, and snow blowed in.

"Well, let's be on our way. OK, Rudolph – full power!" Rudolph's nose glowed brighter than ever. "First stop – the Island of the Misfit Toys...up up and away!" The reindeer started running, then they jumped into the air and before Tommy knew it, they were flying in the sky!

"Oh, my goodness! My parents will never believe this," she exclaimed, laughing her head off. She had never been this excited in her life.

Down below, Clarice watched Rudolph go with happy tears in her eyes. "He'll be a hero after this!"

"That's my buck!" cheered Donner.

Meanwhile, Yukon was dancing with Bumble. "That's how it's done! WAHOOO!" He threw the pickaxe into the air and it struck the ground. He gave it a lick. "Peppermint! What I've been searching for all my life – I've struck it rich - I've got a peppermint

mine! Wahoo!"

Hermey could only laugh at this scene.

On the Island of Misfit Toys, the toys were gathered around the fire, waiting for Rudolph, but...no one came.

"Well – it's Christmas Eve ... but..." Charlie said sadly.

"Looks like we're forgotten again," the spotted elephant said, his ears drooping.

"But Rudolph promised we'd go this time," the doll said.

Charlie shook his head. "Oh, guess the storm was too much for them." He slowly went back into his box. "Just as well go to bed and start dreaming about next year..."

The doll started crying. "I haven't any dreams left to dream. We'll never get off this island. Never."

Then they heard it: sleigh bells ringing! The elephant said, shocked, "Wait a minute...what's that? Is it? Is it?"

Charlie was so excited, he almost hopped entirely out of his box. "It sure is! It's SANTA! And look, Rudolph is leading the way!"

"You can see his nose from here," the doll said, so happy.

All the misfit toys gathered around Santa's sleigh as he landed. "Told you guys we'll be here," Tommy said, laughing. "Everyone, hop in!" All the toys hopped into Santa's sleigh, but Tommy stopped the doll. "Not you. I want to deliver you to someone I know personally."

"Y-You will?"

"I promise." She put the doll into her coat pocket and got herself comfortable in the sleigh.

"Well, let's be on our way," Santa said. "Ready, Rudolph?"

"Ready, Santa!"

"OK, Rudolph – full power!" They took off again. "Up, up and away!"

Sam chuckled as he finished the tale, "Well, folks – as for the rest of the story –"

SAM AND TOMMY

HE WENT DOWN IN HISTORY!

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER HAD A VERY SHINY NOSE AND IF YOU EVER SAW IT, YOU WOULD EVEN SAY IT GLOWS

ALL OF THE OTHER REINDEER USED TO LAUGH AND CALL HIM NAMES THEY NEVER LET POOR RUDOLPH JOIN IN ANY REINDEER GAMES

THEN ONE FOGGY CHRISTMAS EVE SANTA CAME TO SAY RUDOLPH WITH YOUR NOSE SO BRIGHT WON'T YOU GUIDE MY SLEIGH TONIGHT?

THEN HOW THE REINDEER LOVED HIM AS THEY SHOUTED OUT WITH GLEE RUDY YOU RED-BEAKED REINDEER YOU'LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY!

From down below, Tommy could see the lights of cities and cars, all unaware of the sleigh that was flying above them. She watched as an elf in the back of the sleigh handed the misfit toys parachutes and helped them float down to their new homes, where they'll be loved by children everywhere.

TOMMY AND SAM

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER YOU'LL GO DOWN IN HISTORY!

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Tommy and Santa. "Merry Christmas!"

"Tommy, Tommy, wake up!" The young woman slowly woke up. "Thank goodness!" Her eyes adjusted to the light and she slowly realized she was in a bed, surrounded by her mom, dad and little sister.

"How did you get me off the sleigh," she said groggily.

"Sleigh?" her father asked, confused. "You were almost buried alive in snow! What the heck were you doing out there?!"

"I...wanted to get you a present, Gracie," Tommy said to her sister. "I...couldn't think of what to give you so..." Her eyes widened. "The doll! Mom, dad! Was I carrying a doll with me? A doll that says, 'How do you do'?"

"Sorry, we didn't see you carrying one," her mother said. Tommy made a sad face. "Now, you stay here and rest, your father and I will make you some soup."

Her parents left, leaving her feel regret for what had happened. "Gracie, I'm sorry I disappointed you. Maybe I'll make it up to you on your birthday."

"Uh, the doll you mentioned. What did it look like?" Gracie asked.

"Red hair, red dress. Why?" To her astonishment, Gracie showed her the doll she desribed. "H-How did..."

"I found it in your hand," she said. "I took it without Mom and Dad noticing. Was that a bad thing?"

Tommy climbed out of bed and embraced her sister. "No. Not at all. I'm so happy you found it."

"Thanks! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas. Achoo!"

"Ugh! No! I'm gonna catch your cold!" Gracie screamed as she ran off.

Tommy laughed. Then she walked over to the window and looked out into the night sky. She swore she saw a faint red light moving across the blackness. She smiled and waved. "Merry Christmas, Rudolph!"

TOMMY

HARK how all the Welkin rings

"Glory to the Kings of Kings,

"Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild,

"GOD and Sinners reconcil'd!"

Joyful all ye Nations rise,

Join the Triumph of the Skies,

Universal Nature say

"CHRIST the LORD is born to Day!"


End file.
